Man Arrested With Loaded Gun at Trump's LA Golf Club
A man was arrested with a loaded pistol, prohibited ammunition and a security-agent badge at President Trump's Los Angeles-area golf club days before Trump was scheduled to visit the property for a fundraiser, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, California, was arrested Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. According to the sheriff's department, plainclothes federal agents reported a suspicious individual on the property, and deputies who responded found "the individual was observed walking throughout the golf course grounds taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities."
Deputies detained Taele and recovered a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition from his pants pockets. A search of his vehicle in the golf course's parking lot turned up a loaded pistol with a round chambered, along with a second loaded magazine also containing hollow-point ammunition. Investigators also found a pair of binoculars and a badge reading "security protection agent," according to CBS Los Angeles. He was arrested and booked on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of armor-piercing or otherwise prohibited ammunition.
A Search That Turned Up More Weapons
Detectives with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a search warrant at Taele's home Monday, citing the "potential security implications surrounding the incident." That search turned up an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, two radio signal devices and an earpiece, according to the sheriff's department. Investigators also said they found "multiple notebooks containing concerning statements."
Deputies said Taele had separately been under investigation for a 2025 robbery in the nearby city of El Segundo. He has since been charged in connection with both that earlier robbery and the weekend incident. Taele was also charged Tuesday in a federal criminal complaint with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, a felony carrying a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
A judge set Taele's bail at $250,000 and ordered him not to possess weapons, to stay away from the president's golf club, and to remain in California pending further proceedings, court documents show. He pleaded not guilty and was expected to make his initial federal court appearance Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles.
Trump Responds, Visit Proceeds as Planned
The sheriff's department did not indicate any direct threat to the president in connection with the arrest. Trump traveled to Los Angeles as scheduled Tuesday evening, arriving by Marine One at the golf club around 5:07 p.m. local time for a Republican National Committee fundraiser dinner.
Speaking to Fox News about the incident, Trump downplayed concern, saying he took "a little solace" in the idea that such incidents tend to happen to "consequential presidents," adding, "I am definitely consequential."
The arrest is the latest in a string of security incidents tied to Trump properties and events in recent years, including breaches at Mar-a-Lago, the 2024 assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, a separate incident near his West Palm Beach golf course, and a shooting outside this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner.
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